Cougar Attack!!!
We have all looked and marveled at the Big Cats. Lions, Tigers and
Leopards are truly amazing creatures. Few people have the good fortune to be able
to work with these cats and I was lucky enough to be one of them. But my
perspective on this matter drastically changed on November 15th, 1998.
While cleaning a cage, a co-worker became overly involved with trying to fix
a broken door. She erratically, pushed and pulled and shook the door in an
attempt to fix it. My job, as the spotter (or lookout person), was to
maintain eye contact with the cat and warn of any impending danger, in this
case, three cougars.
The 150-pound male, named Cooper, got up and slowly walked toward me. I
warned the woman who was assaulting the door, but she did not stop or turn
around. Like a bolt of lightning, the cougar leaped up and attacked. The
attack lasted nearly 5 minutes. I suffered many lacerations, bruises and
seven bites including two that broke bones in my
neck. I was very
fortunate to come out alive and it took me years to recover.
Now as I look back, I wonder if I should have been there in the first place.
Almost monthly I hear of another person somewhere in the World that gets
hurt by these graceful but dangerous predators. What’s wrong with
admiring them from a distance? There is a big difference between wild and
domestic cats and I believe one should respect this difference. Having said
that, I do believe that there are a great many good places that care for
these animals such as rescues, educational centers and conservation centers.
These places are greatly needed and usually under funded.
I offer these pictures as a simple warning to people whose admiration for these beautiful but dangerous creatures may put themselves and the animals at mortal risk.
